March 29, 2006

A Couple of Thoughts on the Illegal Immigration Issue

I had a good conversation with a my good friend Keith Plummer about the illegal immigration issue today and basically I came to the conclusion that I don't know enough to talk intelligently about the political and legal issues involved. But I did want to share a few biblical thoughts that won't help anyone resolve any policy issues but may at least give Christians some perspective.

Before doing this, here are links to a few of bloggers who are talking intelligently about these issues.

"Quandary" is not the word I would use to describe LaShawn Barber's reaction to some of the recent protests by illegal immigrants. She's fired up about the "Illegal Ingrates" and frankly, considering the actions of many, I can't blame her.

So, let me encourage you to check out those blogs and their links for much more and better info than I could give. But also allow me to share a couple of biblical perspectives.

Many Christians are feeling the tension between personal and governmental responses to illegal immigration. Personally, we are to "welcome the stranger" as Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:35. At the same time, our government officials are called to make laws and enforce them in Romans 13:1ff:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

By definition, illegals are rebelling against authority. True, our authorities don't seem too concerned about it, but we wouldn't call them "illegals" if they weren't in rebellion to authority (although Thomas Sowell points out that even terms like "illegal" are being subjected to some linguistic sleight of hand).

I just wanted to point out that there is a valid tension here between our obligation to welcome the stranger and yet uphold our laws against illegal immigration. Of course, this tension is exacerbated many times over by the vacillations of our leaders.

I am unable to resolve that tension and won't even try to.

But the main thing I wanted to point out is that Christians ought to operate from a position of identification with illegal aliens. The fundamental Christian confession is that we are all lawbreakers, hence we are all illegals. And our identity on this earth is that of aliens and strangers.

I bring that up not to condone the actions of illegal immigrants, especially those who would show blatant disrespect for the flag of the nation that has welcomed them. But knowing our own identity as "illegals" and "aliens" ought to help us hold in check any illusions of moral superiority.

Furthermore, there is some sense in which illegal immigrants are demonstrating a longing for a better city (Hebrews 11:10). Again, this is an aspiration with which Christians ought to identify as we ourselves are looking for a better city.

So, if you are a Christian, whatever your position on the matter of illegal immigration, you ought not to operate from a position of moral superiority. Humility and compassion are the order of the day.

And having attained a humble and a compassionate posture (mercy) in regards to illegal immigration we can then proceed to do justice in this situation. Proper biblical compassion, humility and mercy does not negate our responsibility to faithfully administer justice to those who break the laws of our land. But therein lies the rub - determining what justice is in this situation is the supremely sticky wicket.

We have a real problem on our hands, in that we have completely failed to enforce our current laws to control immigration.

Yes, as believers, we should be compassionate, but the kind of compassion you would have on a man who entered your home through the basement wind,hung pictures of his family on your walls, and started eating the food from your refrigerator. Sure the guy needs help, and I would love to help him. But once he has invited himself into my home, I'm sending him back out the door.

As for "longing for a better city," Christians long for a city we are promised by a Savior, who paid our debt that we might enter in. Now, we can't enter in through a hole in the fence, a tunnel, or in a cargo van. We can only enter by the blood of Christ and only when God brings us home.

Shawn, I'm not sure if you're responding to my comment or to David's post. But if you're responding to me, let me say that it's not that I think we should be enabling illegal behavior. It's the idea that churches would be required to check the legal status of someone. Background checks take time, and they cost money. Money that could be helping people.

I have a hunch that the way this is going to play out is in a disguised form of racism. If a white person without a strong accent comes in and asks for help, they'll get it. If a Latino or some other "foreigner" comes in, or someone with an accent, people will be quick to say, "Oh, we better check this one out."

The other question that I have is how detailed this requirement will be for churches to follow. In other words, if a member of the congregation gives a meal to an illegal immigrant (knowingly or unknowingly), will the church be held liable? I stated on another blog that this seems like a very slippery slope to me if the government tries to place this control on churches.

I wonder if it's getting to the point in our country where it would be better for churches not to incorporate under United States laws. As I see it, the benefits of incorporation are tax deductions for givers (a questionable benefit, in my mind), the ability of the church to own property as an entity (we could do without this), and ... well, those are the only two I can think of. Can anyone suggest others? As for the cons, this issue coming up could prove to be one more step toward the eventual need for an "underground church" right here in the USA.

I'm not trying to sound all crazy here, but I think this deserves some serious thinking.

Thank you, David, for injecting some much-needed humility and compassion into a very heated topic. "We are all lawbreakers," if taken seriously, might calm some of the insulting rhetoric I hear from too many Christian commentators on this subject.

My next door neighbor is a 30-year-old illegal Mexican woman who's been working and paying taxes here in the U.S. for eight years. She's college educated, has car insurance and health insurance, and lives in constant fear of deportation. Despite not being able to get more than an entry level job (relying on employers who don't scrutinize her documents too closely), she clings to this country as more her home than Mexico. Is she unusual? I don't know. All I can say is, if I were her I would be doing the exact same thing. Were I a Mexican and I had a promise of improving the lives of my family by breaking U.S. immigration laws, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

I believe that your view on illegal immigration is very balanced and Biblical...I am a Pastor with the Latino ministry of my church, I so appreciate your candor and Christ-like sweet spirit of humility and love regarding this very "hot" (caliente) issue...

I shall not be renewing my subscription to your
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE rag because I can no longer
admire your standing up to the neocons. They at least
are loyal to something. Unfortunately, you are as much
of a con as the neocons. Goldwater said: better right
than win. But you are a total phony. On the
Scarborough Country MSNBC program-- it may be
Scarborough's country but not the America I defended
and supported-- you said that "we" are going to set
the laws and choose who comes into our country, not
illegals breaking our laws. Who is "we," the Irish
potato famine" refugees who came here and raised hell
or a century?

You speak of law and order and no amnesty. But what
about the Amnesty that your "America" has requested
from the Japanese Americans and the Black Americans
who suffered racial and criminal abuse at the hands of
people like you-- should they grant your likes
amnesty?

We were both with Nixon and we were both there when
Conservatism started as a movement in the 1960s. So no
one can fool anyone. Forgiveness is what REAL
Christians do as it is what REAL Americans do-- as so
many Black and Japanese Americans forgave the likes of
you. People pay for their crimes and sins. But as an
old man you continue to be a fraud trying to cash in
on your own polemical larceny now as ever. I say that
because in all your blah-blah in support of the
Congress-passed Bill that makes it a felony for an
illegal alien to work in the US and for an American to
hire one, you never once mentioned that the felony of
hiring an illegal alien does not go into effect for
SIX MORE YEARS. That's in order to give time for the
grubby business men who hire illegals to avoid the
same catastrophic fate that befalls an illegal worker
caught working in your kind of America.

In the end you are more of a scumbag than the neocons
and a cheap old political whore, condemning Bush for
recklessly causing the deaths of American heroes in
Iraq but the supporting his re-election so he can
continue causing the death of young American heroes in
Iraq. Phonies like you need to be cut loose and
amputated from the Conservative movement, amputated
like an infected limb, before it can recover from its
own fundamental moral corruption.

Keep your rag, American Conservative, for you are
neither a REAL American (having evaded war service)
nor a real Conservative (having hidden from view a
Congressional Bill you peddle that makes it a
felonious crime to work but not to hire such felonious
criminals. That does not make you a
"Paleoconservative" just a crud!

I read your thing on illegal immigrants, I dont know where you live but i am in Dallas texas, or as some would say Little Mexico, they are flying their flags, marching in our streets burning our flags, taking all our jobs, low end labor jobs and now they are taking a lot of our office jobs, they are even opening their own illegal employment offices, operating business withour permits, we cannot even get a low end labor job or find a building to open a business because they have most all of them, I really need God to help me forgive these people, they are not here for a better life, they are here to invade and take over This country, it is happening all over the united states not just the southwest. It is because our government is corrupt and taking bribes and compromising to all matter of sin. I hope God will help me love and forgive, because right now I hate the sight of them. Even their children make me angry because they wont even make them learn english in school, they have their own spanish teachers. And their own busses and we are paying for all of this. They send most of their money back to mexico or only buy in walmart or amongst their own people, of course Budweiser and Coors is getting their fair share. I am angry. Please God help me. My spirit is consumed with anger and hurt for my American Flag, and my dad who gave his life and sanity for this country, only to have his children and grandchildren be treated like strangers in their own land that was founded on the principles of the teachings of Gods word. One nation under God. They are selling it out to Mexico. God please forgive me and give me peace on this issue because it looks like our government will never enforce the laws of God again.